The 80-page novella is written by Tee Franklin (Nailbiter’s The Outfit, Love is Love), with art by Jenn St-Onge (Jem and the Misfits, Finding Molly). The story follows Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray, two 13-year-old black girls who meet in 1963 and fall in love. They are separated by their families, and don’t see each other again for nearly 50 years, when they meet by chance in a bingo hall.
The project has attracted the attention of several high-profile female creators. Kelly Sue DeConnick, Gail Simone, G Willow Wilson, Amy Chu, and Marguerite Bennett all contributed their time for 30-minute Skype sessions for individual backers at premium pledge levels. Genevieve Eft, Nilah Magruder, and Carla McNeil each contributed variant covers for the Kickstarter edition of the book.
The Kickstarter has raised more than $45,000, as of this writing, well over its $20,000 initial goal. The campaign will continue through Monday April 17. A retailer level for 6 softcover copies is available. Backer fulfillment is planned for December.
Diamond Comic Distributors will release the volume to the comic trade, an Inclusive Press spokesperson told ICv2, and Inclusive is also working on distribution to the book trade.
